No. 8 Penn State Penn State men’s lacrosse defeated No. 3 Cornell on Saturday afternoon in Ithaca, New York. 

The game featured a wild comeback by the Nittany Lions, as they erased a four-point deficit in the final minutes thanks to a strong performance on the power play as time expired.

How It Happened

Cornell won the opening faceoff in the game, setting the tone and pace of play early. It wasted no time getting the scoring started, as Hugh Kelleher of the Big Red found the back of the net one minute into the action.

Penn State answered back, courtesy of a goal from star freshman Hunter Aquino. After three minutes of scoreless play, the Nittany Lions were able to capitalize off of a ground ball pickup, as Jack Aimone gave Penn State a 2-1 lead.

Cornell spent a lot of time in front of the Penn State net following the Nittany Lion goal, eventually tying the score at two thanks to a Michael Long goal. The team drew a delayed penalty during its next possession as Penn State’s Brendan Leary committed the offense. The Big Red would head to a one-minute man advantage.

A ground ball pickup by the Nittany Lions helped to kill off the penalty, as Penn State was able to keep the score knotted despite Cornell’s strong power play unit. A few moments later, a Big Red shot clock violation gave possession back to the blue and white. 

Six minutes had passed without a goal before Long scored his second of the game. Cornell took a 3-2 lead with just over two minutes and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Two shot attempts by Penn State in the ensuing minute hit the pipes before the Big Red were able to scoop up the ball. The two teams would head into the second quarter with Cornell maintaining a slight lead.

The second quarter began much like the first, with a Cornell goal in the opening minute. This time, CJ Kirst extended the lead. The Big Red threatened to immediately build on that, but a nice save by Penn State’s goalie Jack Fracyon kept the score 4-2. After more scoreless action, Nittany Lion head coach Jeff Tambroni called the first timeout of the game.

The Big Red recorded their fifth goal of the game following the break, as Ryan Goldstein gave Cornell a 5-2 advantage at the eight minute mark of the period. The team was rolling at home, notching another score shortly thereafter. Another Kirst goal left Cornell with a four-point lead. 

The Nittany Lions weren’t surrendering, as a quick goal by senior Luke Walstrum brought the score to 6-3. They were then able to draw a penalty as momentum began to shift. Penn State would head to a one minute power play. The opportunity would go to waste, as the Big Red maintained possession for the entire man advantage. Cornell called a timeout with four minutes remaining in the half.

Cornell was on the attack following the pause in action, but a strong defensive effort by Penn State led to a shot clock violation. Cornell then committed a pushing penalty as the Nittany Lions again had an extra man opportunity. They finally capitalized as a Mac Hobbs goal closed the score gap. Penn State trailed 6-4.

The penalty flags would keep on coming for Cornell. Slashing was called with under a minute remaining in the half. Penn State could not score with the extra man this time, as the game would head to halftime.

Following the halftime break, Cornell once again scored within the first minute of the period. Michael Bozzi made Cornell’s lead slightly more comfortable, now 7-4. An interference call on the Nittany Lions then sent the Big Red to the power play.

But it was Penn State who was able to put one in the net right after the Cornell advantage. A goal by Alex Ross brought the Nittany Lions back to within two. The team rode the momentum for a while, as Fracyon made a few crucial saves at a pivotal time. The Big Red were then called for their fourth penalty of the game. Penn State would be at an advantage hoping to make it a one score game. It was unable to do so.

The game continued the trend of being underwhelming offensively. The period was relatively low-scoring before Kelleher put another one in the net for Cornell. They took a 8-5 lead with just under three minutes left in the quarter. Liam Matthews of Penn State found an answer, scoring his first of the day. The period closed with the Big Red having the upper hand, leading 8-6.

Cornell scored the first goal of the fourth quarter, as Andrew Dalton brought the score to 9-6. Penn State’s Will Peden answered quickly and the margin was back to two points. Shortly after the Nittany Lion goal, Goldstein recorded another one for the Big Red. Ten seconds later, Jack Cascadden notched one of his own. The newfound Cornell life prompted Tambroni to call a timeout trailing 11-7.

Matthews scored his second goal of the half, as Penn State attempted to stage a late game comeback. They were unable to score consecutive goals, however, as Cornell’s Goldstein secured a hat trick. The Big Red led 12-8 with six minutes remaining. The four-point margin matched Cornell’s largest of the game.

After a Cornell turnover, Penn State was able to get one back courtesy of Kyle Aldridge. The deficit was three with just a couple of minutes until the final whistle. The Big Red suffered another penalty call, this one being a two-minute infraction for unnecessary roughness. 

Matthews scored on the man advantage, marking a hat trick for the sophomore. The score was 12-10 in favor of Cornell, but the Nittany Lions would be on the power play for nearly the entire remainder of the game. Less than a minute later, Walstrum put another one in the net. Just like that, the Nittany Lions trailed by only one point and were knocking on the door of an improbable comeback.

Cornell won the following faceoff and called a timeout with 1:07 left on the game clock. With the power play expiring, Penn State scored the equalizer with 16 seconds to go. Aimone brought the score to 12-12 before another holding penalty was called on Cornell in the final seconds. The Nittany Lions would hold the ball going into overtime, as the team sought to complete the impressive come-from-behind effort in sudden death.

Cornell killed off the power play to begin overtime, but Ethan Long put the final dagger in the Big Red two minutes into the extra period. The Nittany Lions upset Cornell on the road, 13-12.

Takeaways

• What a comeback. After trailing by four with just over two minutes left in the game, the gritty Nittany Lions fought back to earn a top-three victory on the road in overtime. After a relatively quiet game offensively, Penn State picked it up at just the right time.
• The Nittany Lions were without Kyle Lehman, Matt Traynor, and Ryan DiRocco in the game. With three of their top players missing, Penn State was able to fill the holes on attack and at midfield.
• Cornell committed five penalties over the course of the game. While Penn State struggled to capitalize on many, they scored two on the final power play of the game and one shortly after it expired.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return home to take on Robert Morris in Panzer Stadium. The opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12. The game will honor our troops as part of Military Appreciation Day.